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First Edition: December 2, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about how the debt panel's plan would boost costs for seniors on Medicare; how parts of the GOP are making clear their positions regarding health reform "repeal and replace" strategy; and how limited health plans faced critics at a Senate hearing.

2 Dec 2010

Age-related hearing loss associated with low serum levels of folic acid in the elderly

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), one of the four most prevalent chronic conditions in the elderly, is associated with low serum levels of folic acid, according to new research published in the December 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Dec 2010

Health law causing ripples in Congress, insurance industry, among doctors

The Washington Post: "One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted. ... Early clues to the actual effects have now materialized, as elderly Americans may sign up for a health plan for 2011 during an enrollment period through the end of the year, and the warnings of swift, serious damage to the program are not borne out.

1 Dec 2010

Researchers find IGF1 topical gel can treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss

A new treatment has been developed for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), a condition that causes deafness in 40,000 Americans each year, usually in early middle-age.

24 Nov 2010

DFG announces establishment of eleven new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eleven new Collaborative Research Centres (CRC) as of 1 January 2011. This decision was made recently by the responsible Grants Committee at its autumn meeting in Bonn. The new CRCs will receive a total of - 94.4 million (including a 20 percent programme allowance for indirect project costs) for an initial funding period of four years.

24 Nov 2010

Loyola University professor suggests general travel tips for children with nut allergies

No matter the mode of transportation, holiday travel holds special challenged for parents. Either you're stuck in an enormous security line at an airport filled with cranky people or hearing the constant stream of "are we there yet" from the back seat of the car. It's enough to make a Scrooge out of even the most Tiny Tim of us. For many families adding to the chaos is the reality that their child has a dangerous nut allergy.

23 Nov 2010

NASDAQ issues second letter to A.P. Pharma

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that, on November 17, 2010, it received a second letter from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ) indicating that it has not regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which requires the closing bid price of the Company's common stock to be $1.00 or more.

22 Nov 2010

Wrong diagnosis makes comedian spend his life savings

A British comedian ended up spending his life savings after he was wrongly told by doctors he only had three months to live.

21 Nov 2010

U.S. federal court sanction lawyers at Gibson Dunn for abusive questioning in Ecuador environmental contamination

A U.S. federal court has sanctioned Chevron and its lawyers at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher for abusive questioning during a deposition related to the oil giant's multi-billion dollar liability in Ecuador for environmental contamination, according to court papers made available today.

20 Nov 2010

Novartis gender discrimination case settlement final hearing on November 19

The final hearing for approval of the class settlement in the long-running class action gender discrimination case brought by female sales representatives at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation is set for Friday, November 19th at 10 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Colleen McMahon of United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

20 Nov 2010

NLRB issues unfair labor practice charge against NY State Nurses Association

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued an unfair labor practice charge against the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) that is scheduled for a hearing Dec. 6 for unilateral changes made to conditions of employment of the association's professional staff employees in March 2010.

20 Nov 2010

Marshall Edwards receives non-compliance notice from NASDAQ

Marshall Edwards, Inc., an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics, announced today that it was notified on November 16, 2010 by the Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market that, due to the Company's non-compliance with the minimum $10 million stockholders' equity requirement for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Market, as set forth in Listing Rule 5450(b)(1), the Company's common stock is subject to delisting unless the Company requests a hearing before a NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel.

20 Nov 2010

State roundup: California PPOs 'low marks'; Geriatric nursing; Physician shortages

News outlets covered a range of developments including workforce issues in Minnesota and California, and a Kentucky order for insurers to provide child-only policies.

19 Nov 2010

Scientists discover bone matrix plays a vital role in tissue hardening

Scientists are reporting the first direct evidence that a subtle change in the physical properties of a tissue can affect its function. The finding has immediate implications for understanding several rare hearing disorders, they said, and ultimately could offer insight into such conditions as osteoporosis, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

19 Nov 2010

Berwick's first hearing marked by strong defense of health law, GOP 'relative gentleness'

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Dr. Donald Berwick survived his first Senate hearing yesterday by rebutting criticism of the health law and because Republicans were relatively gentle, The New York Times reports.

19 Nov 2010

Colo. nurse practitioners struggle for recognition, reimbursement; Mass. struggles with health care access

The Denver Post: "When nurse practitioner Mary Lou Hendrix opened her own high-risk-pregnancy practice in Evergreen and Cherry Creek last spring after more than 25 years of providing such care in physicians' offices, she was well-prepared for the medical challenges she would face. But she was not ready for the still-unresolved nightmare of trying to get recognized and reimbursed by insurance companies.

18 Nov 2010

US has highest out-of-pocket costs and most complex health insurance

A new 11-country survey from The Commonwealth Fund finds that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because of costs, have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with their insurers or discover insurance wouldn't pay as they expected. According to the report, the findings highlight the need for Affordable Care Act reforms that will ensure access to health care, protect people from medical debt, and simplify health insurance.

18 Nov 2010

Lawmakers elbow for influence as they return to Capitol Hill

Lawmakers are elbowing around Capitol Hill to cement their places in the coming fight over health reform, and industry groups are attempting the same.

17 Nov 2010

Studies explore lifestyle's influence on wellness and brain health

New research is providing a deeper understanding of how individual actions - such as exercising, sensory stimulation, or drinking - influence brain health and outcomes. This new knowledge could ultimately lead to interventions in age-related cognitive declines, drug abuse, stroke, and brain injury, separate from or in combination with traditional pharmacological approaches. These findings were presented at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health.

17 Nov 2010

LFA encouraged by FDA Advisory Committee vote on BENLYSTA for autoimmune disease lupus

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly (13 to 2) to recommend BENLYSTA® for approval as a treatment for the autoimmune disease lupus. If FDA approved, BENLYSTA would become the first new treatment for lupus in 52 years. While today's vote is a positive step, the FDA still must make a final decision to approve BENLYSTA in the coming weeks.

17 Nov 2010